We’ve been talking to local mums here in Wimbledon, SW19 about what their best tips are for holiday baby travels. Hearing what works and what didn’t helped us put together this handy guide for long flights, road or rail travel and it’s bursting with real life knowledge, practical tips and creative ideas from our jet setting mums!
So first things first! Where are you going? How long will it take and how are you getting there? Planning is essential to keep your little one happy, comfortable and entertained.
Holiday baby travels essentials
Keep all those baby items together in a travel bag, so it’ll be easy to get hold of them and if you have one with separate compartments even better. Here are some of the things you should think about taking.
- Nappies
- Nappy bags, especially if you’re using reusable nappies .
- Wet nappy bag for mucky nappies
- Dry nappy bag for clean ones
- Wipes
- Hand sanitiser
- Small first aid kit
- Bottles
- Formula
- Snacks
- Change of clothes – for you and baby
- Any medication your baby might need
Create comfort
You want your baby to feel safe and comfortable. Familiar things will help your baby feel comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. As well as taking a favourite toy or blanket, here’s a list of other things that will help.
- Dress your baby in comfortable layers that are easily removed or added depending on temperature changes.
- If your baby is at the crawling/walking stage choose dark coloured socks and bottoms as aisles and walkways in public areas may not be as clean as your home.
- Try and stick to your baby’s sleep routine as much as possible.
- Keep baby fed and hydrated.
Keep them entertained
There were so many great suggestions to keep little ones entertained and below were the most popular. We suggest you use different options on rotation to keep your baby engaged and interested.
- Prepare hour bags – these are zip lock bags with a new toy/activity/snack in, that you bring out every hour. Each one with something different in to keep your baby interested. You can’t always predict what will be of interest so have lots of variety.
- Alternatively keep the new toys/activity/snacks all in one bag but wrap them up, so your little one will have fun unwrapping them and finding something new and different each time. It’s like giving a gift everytime, all wrapped up and creating a sense of intrigue and delight!
- Sticker books and no mess colouring books were also a great success.
- Board books, fabric books with interactive sections with flaps, textures and mirrors.
- Puffy stickers and suction toys that they can stick to the tray table and window and peel off easily.
- There are even some baby clothes with flippy designs to play peek-a-boo with, that reveal a little creature beneath the flap.
- If your baby is old enough, an ipad with baby friendly apps, such as Cbeebies and Fisher Price can keep little ones interested.
- For train and plane travel, get a zip lock bag that fits an ipad/phone in, so you can hook over the folding tray, when it’s closed so you don’t have to always have it down.
- Packets of baby wipes that they can pull out one after the other, and a zip lock bag for you to put them back into!
- A soft ball that you can blow up and deflate when you have a break and space to play, maybe at the airport before you board or change flights.
- Tupperware with different sections for various veggie snacks.
Most of all enjoy your holiday baby travels and accept that not everything will go to plan no matter how well prepared you are. Hopefully our suggestions will go some way to make a wonderful holiday for you and your family! Safe travels.